'48 aluminum half dome install

[MYater]

OK I'm at a loss. After gutting my '48, doing repairs and then running new wiring and insulation, I'm trying to get the 13 panel interior half domes back in place.

Originally I assumed to much insulation was fighting me, so I pulled the inner skin back out, thinned the insulation, and tried again. It isnow at half the thickness of insulation that I started with and it still is acting like I never took any out. I've been using blind rivets to get it in place and I'll shoot solids one for one once it is in place.

The problem is that I can shoot all the way around the front frame and the front window is off about 1/2 inch, or if I start with the window the front frame is off by 1/2-3/4 inch.

I marked the front and rear domes as I removed them so I know they are not swapped, and the holes line up exactly. I haven't moved the trailer, so it is not a case of driving around and everything shifting.

Has anybody else had similar problems putting the older aluminum inner half domes back in place?

[Belegedhel]

Can't speak for your particular trailer, but I had a similar experience with my interior endcaps (made of ABS). I found that it is definitely a two-person job, and that just the geometry/material/nature of the things means that they can really change shape. I had to reinstall mine twice, and each time, it seemed that there was no way that I would get all the holes to line up right, but with enough grunting, they finally did. One question is what kind of insulation do you have behind them? If it is too rigid, it might be keeping your caps from flexing/deforming enough to fit right.

There was a thread with various folks contributing their stories of woe trying to reinstall endcaps, but I don't recall any panaceas.

good luck!

[rumrunner]

a bunch of clecos are a lot easier to work with and adjust than blind rivets. Could be you are binding things up a little too much. Were your endcaps riveted in with buck rivets originally? Mine are assembled with buck rivets but installed with 1/8 blind rivets.
tim

[MYater]

Originally Posted by rumrunner

a bunch of clecos are a lot easier to work with and adjust than blind rivets. Could be you are binding things up a little too much. Were your endcaps riveted in with buck rivets originally? Mine are assembled with buck rivets but installed with 1/8 blind rivets.
tim

As for the solid bucked rivets, the really early trailers bucked the half domes in. I think they got away from that around 50- 51 when they stopped screwing the rest of the internal skins into the wall ribs as well.

As far as the Clecos that's just something I do not have.

The binding situation is where I am stuck. I was hoping to avoid purchasing the Clecos for one project, but I may not have a choice.

I think I'll vollen-told my brother-in-law this weekend for an extra body, and see what I can work out.

[e5earley]

Instead of Clecos you can try using short drywall screws to hold everything in. Then remove one at a time and rivet. Worked for me when installing interior skins in my 69.